What are customs duties? Do I need to collect or pay them?

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General info

What are customs duties and fees?

Customs duties are taxes charged on imported goods. They vary widely across every country. Different rules and rates often apply to different types of products. Furthermore, the rules and rates may differ depending upon the country where you obtained the goods or from which you are traveling. Oftentimes there are exemptions that allow you to bring certain goods and/or goods up to a certain value into a country without being charged duty.

When you arrive in a country, you are generally required to declare any items that you are bringing with you which may be subject to duty (as well as other local regulations). It’s important to be honest and thorough when you fill out customs forms, as violating customs regulations can lead to penalties, including fines and confiscation of items.

What are my options to collect and pay customs duties?

Paying customs duties and fees is the traveler’s responsibility. We recommend that travelers calculate any duties or customs fees (if applicable) prior to making an offer and include this amount in the proposed traveler fee.

Customs regulations can be very complex, so be sure to research the laws and requirements of any country that you are visiting. Customs regulations may not differentiate between your personal items and goods that you are delivering to a Grabr shopper, so pay close attention to any limits that you could exceed if the value of everything you are traveling with is combined.

Because customs regulations can be complicated and sometimes unpredictable, some shoppers agree via Grabr Messenger to reimburse travelers for customs fees in person upon delivery of the item. When doing so, both traveler and shopper should clearly communicate this agreement prior to delivering the item. Travelers should present shoppers with copies of receipts for duties paid.